This article summarizes a conference about well-being, academic performance and children’s quality of life in school. It was presented at University of Nantes in 2017 by Philippe Guimard and Fabien Bacro.
INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, psychologists are no longer only interested in disorders and the way to treat them but also in what makes happy and blooming individuals during their life. Henceforth, researchers are studying development’s negative aspects as much as positive aspects in children’s life. They make sure that we offer them better life conditions to access to a well-being and a harmonious development.
The school is an essential place for children because they blossom there during many years. So, children’s quality of life pass through the school. Now, school’s finalities have changed to take into account the well-being question and children’s fulfilment. Thus, we favor student’s blossoming and no longer only academic performances: since 2012, the well-being in school has been one of the most important goal for the Education system.
School is an important dimension of children’s quality of life. When we ask to them what they makes them happy, one answer frequently comes back: the school, thanks to learnings and the relationships developed in this environment.
In France, student’s well-being is a topic that isn’t often studied. It has been rather studied from the children’s difficulties and uneasiness angle. Indeed, some studies have showed many links between school satisfaction and :
- Psychological and physical health : those who doesn’t like school have more headaches, dizziness, depression, sleeplessness etc.
- High-risk behaviors : smoking, alcohol, sexual risk behavior etc.
- Global quality of life
- Academic performances
But these studies took place in middle school, so we don’t know a lot of things about the youngest. Also, there are not many longitudinal studies and they are only based on well-being’s unidimensional evaluation.
GOAL
So, the study’s goal presented during this conference is to highlight different well-being profiles in primary and secondary school pupils through a multidimensional scale. The other purpose consisted to establish links between these profiles and the academic satisfaction, the quality of life and the academic performances.
METHODOLOGY
557 students from 8 primary schools and 12 secondary school were tested.
It was collective passations in class :
- Year 1 : BE-scol questionnaire were submitted to students + French performances and math performances were evaluated by teachers.
- Year 2 : the same protocol was used and a global life satisfaction scale were also submitted to the students.
RESULTS :
3 well-being profiles have emerged from this study :
- Satisfied and relaxed students : they think they have good relationships with teachers, they are satisfied about activities and academic results, they have good relationships with classmates and they aren’t anxious about exams.
- Less satisfied and relaxed students : they think they have bad relationships with teachers, they don’t like school and activities but they feel secure and they have good relationship with classmate.
- Less satisfied and worried students : they present difficulties in relationships with classmates and teachers, they are anxious about evaluations and they don’t feel secure.
CONCLUSION
So, this study confirms the interest of well-being multidimensional evaluation in primary and secondary school. It reveals children who are happy to go to school are not necessarily satisfied by all experiences in school.
Words I have learned :
Fulfilment = blossoming : épanouissement
Uneasiness : inquiétudes
Headaches : maux de tête
Dizziness : vertiges
To be submit : être soumis à